The Malta Cricket Association is delighted to announce that it will be hosting an international cricket tournament in October. Confirmed participants are Russia, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

The tournament will be played to the twenty20 format of the game which is a thrilling and exciting blend of cricket. Each game lasts a maximum of 3 hours and is played by teams wearing coloured clothing. The tournament will be held from Friday 18 October to Sunday 20 October 2013.

The tournament will be the first of its kind to be held in Malta and will raise the profile of the game on the island. Adult league games for men and women are played on the island weekly and there is an active academy programme where boys and girls are able to play and learn the skills of the game in an organised way. Schools will be invited to send children to watch the games and meet the players.

This tournament will give spectators the chance to see their national team compete against international competition on the island for the first time.Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony will be held during the lunch break between the two games on Friday 18 October starting at 12.30 and confirmed attendees will be Ministers of the Maltese Government, Ambassadors from the competing nations and VIP's from locally based & international companies.

The Maltese cricket team are a blend of youth and experience and will use this tournament as an opportunity of awarding some new caps and raising the profile of the game in Malta. The squad selected are:-Nowell Khosla (captain) John GrimaJustin Brooke (vice captain) Adam BalakrishnanGeorge Agius Haroon MajeedDerek Ali Andrew NaudiSam Aquilina Chris RiordanBikram Arora Mark SaccoMalcolm Crabbe Ronnie Sacco

Malta National Coach - Dave Carlisle.

Cricket has been played on Malta for well over 100 years, in fact it has been recorded that the famous Victorian English cricketer W.G. Grace played cricket on the island on his way to play in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in the late 1800's. Malta is an affiliate member of the world's governing cricket body the ICC and has competed in every edition of the affiliate's championship since its inception in 1998.